Mele Kalikimaka
by sofasitter
Summary: Alex persuades Olivia to take a Hawaiian Christmas vacation with her, will Alex get everything that she always wanted by Christmas morning.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers - not mine**

**A/N - Happy Christmas everyone, second part up later today :)**

* * *

'_Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day__  
__That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway__  
__Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright__  
__The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night__  
__Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you'_

_- Robert Alex Anderson_

"Hawaii?" Liv pawed her way through a stack of brochures on Alex's coffee table as the blonde finished getting ready. They were probably going to be late for their reservation at Chez Henri, but court had run late that day. "You thinking of taking a holiday?"

In the bedroom, Alex tightened the belt on her jeans, throwing a lose fitting cream cashmere jumper over her black tank, she finished the look with some jewelry Olivia had bought for her last birthday. "Maybe …" She called out, "Hawaii's nice at Christmas time." She checked her appearance one last time before making her way back to Olivia.

Olivia tried not to convey disappointment in her voice. "You should," she agreed. "I can't remember the last time you took a holiday? It was probably Africa!"

Alex chuckled, "Probably." She took the brochure from Liv's hands. "It was just a thought."

Truthfully though it was more than a thought. It was a provisional five-day booking at a five star exclusive beach resort, two business class plane tickets and a quiet word in Donald Cragen's ear to see if his senior detective had personal time owed.

"You should come with me?" Alex suggested softly, her eyes looking everywhere except in Olivia's direction.

"I don't know Alex …" Liv chuckled. "Hawaii is hardly for me!"

Alex bit back the urge to come up with a hundred different reasons why Hawaii might be 'exactly' the place for the stubborn brunette to relax and unwind. They'd spent last Christmas together watching black and white movies on Olivia's couch, drinking wine and eating cold turkey and stuffing sandwiches because neither of them could be bothered to cook the vegetables. She couldn't imagine spending Christmas without Olivia, which was why she'd left it until the 16th of December to try and convince her to come.

The brochures placed half out of sight on her coffee table were no accident.

"You're serious?" Liv said, only partially surprised.

Alex smiled shyly and shrugged. "Can't think of anyone I'd rather go with." She replied, honestly.

Liv stood, laughing it off. "I can't go to Hawaii Alex, what about work?"

"You can take leave." Alex replied. "Lord knows you have plenty …"

"But …"

"But what Liv?" The blonde stared at her, picking up her camel coloured pea coat from the back of the sofa. "But … it could be fun? But … it'd be warm? But … we'd be in Hawaii?"

"It's Christmas …" Olivia whined, a little childishly. "Christmas is snow on the ground, Munch putting up twenty-year-old decorations at the precinct and playing effing Christmas music all day long, and you and me huddled under blankets eating Chinese food because the heat went out …?"

"Or …" Alex found herself stepping closer, "Christmas this year could be you and me, drinking Mai Tai's on the beach getting a tan and saying 'Mele Kalikimaka' to each other when we wake up in Hawaii on Christmas morning?"

"Mele … what?"

"It means Merry Christmas Liv."

Liv frowned. "Oh …"

"So?"

Olivia stood beside her, thinking. As much as she enjoyed their previous Christmas traditions she had to admit, the thought of the blonde going away without her over the holidays had stirred feelings of ill ease. Christmas in Hawaii with Alex would mean cocktails on the beach, seafood – one of Alex's most favourite things, and the blonde attorney in a – hopefully – very skimpy two-piece.

"Oh my god Liv!" Alex laughed. "Anyone would think I was asking you to give me a kidney!" She took the brunette's hands in her own. "You don't have to answer me right now, but at least promise me you'll think about it, okay?"

Liv grinned at her, "Okay."

Alex smiled. "Thank you."

"No … I mean 'Okay' …" Liv corrected, emphasizing the last word.

"You mean you'll come?" Alex squealed with delight. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

* * *

A week later and their bags were packed and stood side by side in Alex's hallway as they sat waiting for the car to come and pick them up.

"I can't believe we're going to Hawaii!" Olivia exclaimed, for about the tenth time that morning.

Alex chuckled, despite her earlier reluctance the detective sure knew how to get excited about her first holiday in several years.

"Just the short matter of an eight hour flight to Los Angeles to get out of the way first." Alex said woefully.

"Oh come on Alex, it'll be fun." She jumped up to show the blonde her iPod. "Look, I made us a playlist full of Christmas songs I got from John."

Alex groaned. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

A glass of Champagne and a Valium later and Alex was feeling a whole lot better sat waiting in the executive lounge at JFK airport. Liv tried to hide her amusement at the slightly addled attorney, it really wasn't Alex's fault that she couldn't fly unless chemically stoned.

"Alex … hey Alex … slow down there," Liv insisted, taking the blonde's empty Champagne glass and retuning it to the table so it wouldn't be re-filled by an overzealous waiter. "I think you've had enough honey, I don't want to have to carry you onto the plane."

Alex made a face, but then replaced it with a broad smile. "We still have an hour," She said. "Let's go shopping."

Years ago Olivia had reconciled her discomfort with the Cabot wealth, in part, largely because Alex had no airs about it. She was as content at a black tie event wearing a ball gown that would've cost Olivia's entire yearly salary as she would be sitting in the bleachers at a Bruins game eating hot dogs and drinking beer out of plastic cups. She made a point of emphasizing to Olivia that it wasn't the money that mattered, it was how the money got spent.

As they made their way to the gate, Liv kept putting on and taking off her new Ray-Bans, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the tinted glass of the airport corridor.

Alex tried hard not to watch her, but it was tough. Everything about the brunette screamed glamour and sex appeal, the casual dress she wore, her chestnut hair cascading down around her shoulders, free falling in the light as she flicked it back – trying out her new shades. Liv glanced sideways and caught Alex looking at her as she walked. "Thanks …" She mumbled, "I really like them!"

Alex said nothing but simply grinned, linking her arms with her detective as they approached the gate. In roughly twelve hours they'd be in Hawaii and then operation 'Alex's Christmas wish' would begin in full force.

* * *

Olivia groaned as she adjusted to the dim light of the room, somewhere in the distance she could vaguely make out the sound of waves crashing and people singing, she opened her eyes – rubbing sleepily, the long flight having taken its toll on the unaccustomed traveler.

Alex was more au fait with jet setting through different time zones, she employed a tried and tested method of alcohol and prescription pills to induce sleep on the flight and then always woke at the other end looking surprisingly refreshed. Liv, on the other hand, had managed about an hour on the flight to LAX and none on the flight to Honolulu, nor on the short flight from there to Maui. When they finally arrived at their hotel, Alex was sprightly and asking about the weather and all Olivia could think about was going to bed.

She got up and went into the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water before taking a good long look at the reflection staring back in the mirror. Someone, somewhere, was having a joke.

Because they arrived late in the afternoon, only to be told that the booking agent had made a mistake and the only lodge room available had a superking bed not two queens. Alex looked across at her and shrugged, they were _girl_friends after all … right?

Olivia groaned at her reflection in the mirror. Yep, someone was indeed having a good old laugh.

She made her way out onto the deck, the lodge was set back from the water's edge by a vast lawned area, a walkway and then beach, yet it still felt almost within touching distance. Alex was sat in the love seat reading a book, her bare feet resting upon the veranda.

"You're awake!"

Liv chuckled, "I think so, what time is it?"

"A little after 7pm …" Alex replied, "We've still plenty of time to go out and enjoy the evening."

Liv sat beside her in the swing chair and began to rock slowly back and forth. "I'm sorry to have slept so long." She mussed. "We're you bored?"

Alex shook her head slowly. "No …"

The sight of the detective, freshly woken from sleep was the most adorable thing Alex could recall seeing in quite some time. Olivia's face seemed relaxed, and refreshed, as if the weight of the worries that kept her down in New York had been left behind in the airport lounge at JFK.

Alex wanted her to look like that always, so gorgeous it almost hurt to breathe.

"Alex?" Liv glanced at her sideways, a touch nervous. "What's wrong? You're staring at me."

Alex grinned. "Nothing's wrong, you look different here, that's all."

* * *

After eating fresh tiger prawns grilled on the barbeque and delicious salmon steaks washed down with copious amounts of beer, in Olivia's case, and too many blue Hawaiian cocktails for Alex to keep count, the two New Yorkers stumbled back to their lodge, giggling like foolish schoolgirls along the way.

Once they got inside the room the air suddenly turned fresh; taking a nap alone in the bed was one thing but snuggling up with Alex's warm and tipsy body beside her for a whole night was another thing entirely and Olivia felt nervous.

"Relax Liv …" Alex slurred, doing her utmost to take off her sandals without falling to a heap on the floor. "I promise not to spoon you …"

Olivia turned just in time to stop Alex from face-planting onto the tiled floor. "Steady now …" She grumbled. "And I wasn't thinking about that."

Alex squared up to her, shoes off and tossed over by 'her' side of the bed. She was shorter without them on, but not by much, what made her seem smaller than usual was the way she swayed – only maintaining an upright position due to the firm grasp of Olivia's strong hands around her waist.

"Yes you were …" The attorney battled, sounding more drunk than she felt.

Olivia rolled her eyes back in her head; it was a long while since she'd seen Cabot this drunk-off-her-ass. She forgot how the attorney liked to argue!

"You're drunk." Olivia noted, softly.

"Am not …"

Liv chuckled, "Are too … see?" She let go of the blonde and watched her almost fall before quickly grabbing her again.

"Okay …" Alex conceded. "Maybe a little …?"

"Let's get you in to bed?" Liv suggested, guiding her over to the far side. She helped Alex sit on the bed, steadying her from flopping backwards. "You need me to help you get undressed?"

Alex shook her head, but made no move to do anything useful. Liv left her sitting there and went to the dresser drawers to fetch one of the oversized t-shirts she knew the attorney liked to wear to bed.

"Here Alex, put this on?" Alex was even more drunk than she'd seemed just a minute ago. Liv sat beside her on the bed, one knee bent behind to steady her as she grasped the bottom of the lose pink camisole Alex was wearing and pulled it off over her head. "How many of those blue things did you drink?"

Alex stuck out her tongue by way of response, displaying that it was bright blue in colour. "A lot?" She let her head loll against Olivia's shoulder, suddenly interested in the view down the brunette's top.

"Here …" Liv sat her up to dress her in the t-shirt, all the while trying hard not to look at the soft peach underwear she had on underneath. 'It's just the same as a bikini top' Olivia told herself. "You think you can manage with your pants? … Alex?"

Alex was snoozing against her. Liv let her fall back slowly onto the bed, focused on the graceful way her blonde hair fanned out beneath her. She took a deep breath, telling herself that the thing she was about to do next was perfectly acceptable.

She slid the zipper of Alex's white Capri pants slowly down, all the while holding her breath. Alex didn't stir, so in the same breath Liv shimmied them off, desperately trying to ignore the lacy peach panties that lay beneath and the barest hint of auburn hair nestled visible through the thin lace gusset. She cursed her own eyes, letting out the breath and looping her arms around Alex's middle to pull her up as she drew back the covers and lowered the blonde back onto the bed.

Alex's arms wrapped around her in response, she sighed and snuggled tighter against Liv's embrace.

"Ssssh …" Liv soothed. "Go back to sleep sweetie."

Alex mumbled something incoherent and then turned over onto her front. Liv was on her way to the bathroom to fetch tylenol and a glass of water when she heard Alex mumble her final words before sleep.

"Love you Liv …"

* * *

**Tbc ...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Second part up as promised, wont be very long, maybe 4 chapters, hope you enjoy and hope you had a great Christmas!**

**Same disclaimers apply …**

* * *

At some point in the middle of the night, after being asleep for only a few hours, Olivia woke with the faint understanding that she was far too hot. As she pulled herself from sleep she began to register that the reason for this was the presence of Alex's body draped over hers, legs and arms entangled as she lay with her face buried in the detective's shoulder, a distinct rebuff to the feather-down pillow provided by their luxurious hotel. Liv paused for a couple of seconds, relishing in the feel of soft silken strands of sun-kissed blonde hair tickling her face, when she slept – Alex looked breathtakingly beautiful.

"Alex …?"

Forever afterwards, Olivia would wonder why, in that moment, she thought to wake the sleeping blonde? Perhaps out of fear or discomfort? All she knew for certain, was that the second Alex's name tumbled breathily from her lips she regretted it and wished she could take it back, so sudden was the realization that she could have stayed that way forever.

Alex stirred in sleep at the sound of her name, mumbling something incoherent into the side of Olivia's chest, Liv strained to hear and thought it might have been 'what time is it?'

"Alex … sweetie …" Her bladder raged at her, too full from so many bottles of stronger-than-she-had-thought Hawaiian beer. She'd needed to run to the bathroom the second she woke but there was long-legged blonde limpet lying across her.

After the second attempt Alex began to take stock of her own surroundings, acutely aware of the curves of a person beneath her hands. Even after a countless amount of blue Hawaiian cocktails she was still able to feel the way that stomach muscles, which weren't her own, tensed beneath her hand as she felt around for something to anchor herself on, and how legs that were wrapped up with her own began to flee to the opposite edge of the bed the minute they were set free.

"Liv?"

Her voice was laced with sleep and thick with something else Olivia's ears weren't quite able to place, she'd heard it once or twice before, and still it stumped her.

Before entering the world of full consciousness, Alex took a second to let her palm flow freely over the bare skin of the detective's belly, knowing that in about thirty seconds she would blame it on the confusion of sleep. Without giving her a chance to explain her actions, Liv hopped from the bed and sprinted her way to the bathroom, using the minutes it took to relieve herself to also take deep settling breaths and not let herself focus on the feel of Alex's warm hand as it gently caressed the skin beneath her t-shirt.

Alex lay facing the wall away from her as she returned, she drew back the covers and slid into bed, wondering how to position herself or whether to say anything.

"You can move Liv …" Alex said, after a few moments of feeling the detective lying uncomfortably rigid with her arms tightly at her sides. "I'll keep to my side … you don't need to lie as if you're dead …"

Liv took a deep breath and let out a sigh, the sadness in the blonde's voice was so plain to hear. She always hated the way Alex got like this, a bit too much alcohol and she'd wind up 'handsy' (as Elliot called it), getting touchy-feely with Olivia in whatever bar they were at before getting so drunk-off-her-ass the detective had to take her home and put her to bed. It happened rarely, and over the course of their long friendship Liv could probably count all the occasions on just two hands. As she would help the drunken attorney in to her plush bed she would find herself contemplating the nature of their relationship and why Alex always felt the need to be inebriated in order to lay a hand on her. Unfortunately, any conversation on the subject matter would be wasted air, and the following morning Alex would always act as if nothing had happened when she woke to the sight of Olivia crashed out on her couch beneath a blanket, keeping watch over her.

Well tonight they were in the same bed, on the same island for that matter, and Olivia was finally sure that Alex had nowhere to run to.

She turned on her side, facing the back of hunched shoulders and blonde hair covering the pillow. Alex was feigning sleep but not doing a very convincing job of it. Olivia paused a moment to acknowledge that even without seeing her face, she knew what Alex looked like when she was really sleeping, it stirred something within her, something good. She shuffled her body closer, wrapping the blonde's body up in her arms and feeling, more than hearing, the soft sigh that escaped Alex's lips as her body fell into the weight of Olivia's arms, without actually moving an inch.

"Everything's fine Alex …" Liv reassured, not being too specific. She held the blonde tightly against her body. "I'm having a lovely time here with you, I had a fantastic evening … and," She paused, snuggling her nose against the back of Alex's neck, "I have a feeling that this is going to be the best Christmas ever …?"

In her arms Alex simply nodded and held her breath, worried that if she moved or spoke Liv might pull back her arms and then she would be sadder than she'd ever felt. Knowing in that moment that the sensation of Olivia's arms wrapped around her as she drifted off to sleep was the most perfect gift anyone could ever have given her.

* * *

Come morning, Liv woke to find herself alone in the bed again. For a second she strained her head, listening to see if Alex was sick in the bathroom and in need of her. Finding out that she wasn't, she got up and made her way to the front of the lodge, a little sad to see sheets of rain coming down outside through the open shutters at the windows.

As she opened the door to step out onto the porch she saw Alex sprinting up the path towards her, carrying what looked like a huge parcel in her arms. Her legs were bare and she wore flip flops on her feet but had twinned the outfit with a bright yellow raincoat she'd purchased at the airport after checking the forecast, buying Olivia a matching one – only in blue.

She burst through the doorway, bringing with her a good deal of rainwater and a beaming smile.

Liv laughed at her as she shook herself dry upon the mat. "Raining?"

"Like you've never known!" She turned and handed Liv the package. "Breakfast."

Liv frowned questioningly.

"It's pouring down out there …" Alex began to explain, shedding her wet clothes so that she was down to the orange and yellow bikini she'd put on first thing beneath her shorts and top. Liv tried to follow the conversation with her ears but was too busy following the skimpily dressed attorney with her eyes. "I figured since I woke up early I'd go across to the restaurant and get us breakfast to go … that way we didn't both have to get wet." She added, roughly drying her hair with a towel.

Liv smiled and approached her, setting the parcel down upon the small wood table that matched the simplicity of the two-seater beside it. "You look very cute in that stupid raincoat." She said, downright deadpan.

Alex's eyes whipped up to meet hers, finding that Olivia was busy engrossing herself in unpacking the contents of the large cardboard box, pleased to find an assortment of goodies from fruit to pastries and also some coffee too.

Alex blinked, trying to work out if she'd heard what she thought she'd heard. She wandered over to the chest beside the bed to pull out some fresh clothes.

"You'd better hurry …" Liv teased. "This all looks 'so' good!"

* * *

The bad weather hung around for most of the day, but luckily it was warm and with raincoats donned they decided to go exploring some of the island, taking in the local culture. Neither one was prepared to mention Alex's wandering hands in the middle of the night and the blonde was just relived it hadn't seemed to affect Olivia's mood, if anything she was sprightlier than usual – given the downpour.

After returning, drenched, in the middle of the afternoon, Alex hit the shower first, leaving Liv to decide where they would go for their Christmas Eve dinner meal. As she came out of the shower, Alex saw Liv arranging a couple of small packages on the table beside some bits of green shrubbery. She stood still for a minute or two, simply watching the detective at work.

"What ya doing Liv?"

Liv spun around, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. She stepped away from her creation, waiting for Alex to come and stand beside her.

"I thought I'd fix us a makeshift Christmas tree …" She explained, all of a sudden feeling silly about it. She turned to the blonde and shrugged.

Alex slid her arm inside Olivia's and stepped tight against her side. "It's lovely Liv, I love it …"

* * *

The rain finally stopped in the early evening so they wandered down to a nice restaurant Liv had spotted on their touristy excursion earlier in the day, slipping in to make a last-minute reservation whilst Alex was looking at shoes. After a simple supper of delicious salmon and fragrant rice they washed it down with a bottle of champagne and Liv noticed that Alex was deliberately holding back.

"What's wrong?"

Alex glanced up at her and put on a smile. "Nothing," She paused. "I'm in Hawaii, for Christmas, with my best friend … what could possibly be wrong?"

"Well …" Liv hummed her evidence quietly, "You've barely touched your champagne for starters."

They sat in silence until the waiter arrived with a slice of mud pie and two spoons. Yet again Alex was reserved, acting out of character and allowing Olivia to clear her half and then begin to encroach upon hers – where it was usually the other way round.

"Is that what we are?" Liv asked, finally setting down her spoon even though Alex's half of the dessert lay practically untouched. "Best friends?"

Her question seemed to cause a height of unease in the blonde attorney, which she found both baffling and intriguing. She began to see herself much like these trips to foreign lands that Alex so loved to take, she adored them when she was there but she had to be off her tits to get to them …

She plowed on in spite of Alex's silence. "I only ask because …" Her hand slid across the table, briefly cupping Alex's inside her own.

The feel of Alex's skin beneath her fingertips had always felt right, those soft touches and illicit glances even back when they were both relatively new to the job. She always put it down to the bond they shared after all those years of working together but in truth she'd known for a while now that it had grown into something more.

"Why aren't you drinking Alex?"

Alex brought her gaze up to meet her, softly studying the brunette's face. She couldn't remember when exactly it was that she'd realised that she was in love with Olivia, but it probably happened during a mundane, innocent encounter at her own apartment, since the brunette had taken to hanging out there so often she practically ought rent the second bedroom.

She recalled looking over one day, and instead of it being her 'friend' and 'co-worker' Olivia Benson looking back at her, what she actually saw was everything beneath the surface; the woman who knew when she was upset before she did, who called her at night after a rough case, or if things were just starting to pile on top of her. Liv knew where she kept a secret stash of chocolate in her apartment, which shirt was her favourite one to sleep in and which books were on her all time top-ten list. She knew how she liked her coffee in the mornings – different from how she drank it in the evening, and without thinking or asking Liv would do the tiniest little things for her, like build her a makeshift Christmas tree that made her heart sing with glee.

"I'm trying not to get too drunk." Alex replied honestly. "I don't want to make the same mistake as I did last night."

Liv's eyes saddened and she drew her hand away, stopped by the swift action of Alex grabbing hold and placing hers over Olivia's this time.

"That's not what I meant," The blonde assured, suddenly emboldened. She took a fierce deep breath prior to a long pause. "I don't have any issue with 'that' …" She didn't really expand, "Only that I wouldn't want to make you feel embarrassed …"

"You didn't."

"Good." Alex ran her thumb softly over the back of the detective's hand. She sipped the rest of her glass, for courage, before calling the waiter over with the cheque. "Would you mind if we left? It's just … there's a break in the rain and, when we get back to the lodge there's kind of something I wanted to talk to you about?"

Liv really felt the sincerity in her voice. "Of course," Then she paused, "On one condition?"

"What?"

"It's Christmas Eve so we get to each open one of our presents first."

* * *

**TBC **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – third installment, time for the good stuff. I might finish it here, depending on what folks think, it was just a little something that crept into my head that really wanted to be written after I was listening to a version of the song this fic is named after whilst making Christmas biscuits and feeling cheerful. Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

**Nb – my amusing other half challenged me to fit the word 'exaltation' into this story, y'know, for the hark the herald angels ….. imho I'm far happier worshipping Olivia Benson than any other deity!**

**Same disclaimers that they're not mine!**

* * *

Alex's mood lightened the second Olivia pulled her to the floor to sit beside her in front of their makeshift Christmas tree, grabbing a blanket and a couple of cushions from the seat as she did so.

"You go first." She said, taking a flat, neatly wrapped parcel off the table and handing it to the blonde.

Alex grinned, giving it a gleeful squeeze. "What is it?" She asked, not expecting to get an answer. She unwrapped the ribbon tied lovingly around and pulled off the paper to reveal two tickets to a play she'd been trying to get Olivia to go and see with her since it opened about a month ago, but the detective had been pulling funny faces and generally acting disinterested in the hopes she could put Alex off until Christmas. "Thanks Liv!"

She leant across the space between them and placed a light kiss upon Olivia's cheek, her eyes fluttering shut as she pulled away.

Liv sighed, smiling, recalling last year when Alex got super excited about one particular present and ended up in her lap, hugging her.

"Now your turn." Alex stated, looking over the two parcels with Olivia's name on beside their 'tree'. Her hand flitted between the two, unable to decide which one to give to the detective first.

Olivia laughed as Alex handed her the rectangular wrapped parcel, somewhat reluctantly. "You're sure now?" She checked, lightly mocking her.

Alex nodded, worriedly biting her bottom lip.

Liv tore into the paper gingerly, holding in her lap a slightly battered and well-loved copy of Nabokov's 'Lolita', unsure of how to react to such a gift.

"It was one of the first things you ever said to me …" Alex whispered, as Olivia caressed the delicate binding of the first edition book in her hands, able to appreciate – if nothing else – that it must have cost Alex a fair bit. "I said … 'how exactly does an English professor's daughter wind up becoming a sex crimes detective?' … and you gave me this acerbic look and said … 'haven't you ever read _Lolita_?' …"

Liv smirked, chuckling as she recalled the conversation as if it were yesterday; the way she'd nit-picked and pounced upon every statement that came out of the young blonde attorney's mouth. Alex seemed so prim and proper back then, quite up-herself and very, very green. Whereas she, on the other hand, considered herself wholesome, worldly and wise – despite being just a few years older.

She'd made Alex work for it, that's for sure. Yet here they were, with Alex remembering something flippant she'd said during one of their very first conversations, when thoughts of friendship were furthest from her mind. Thinking back, she'd done everything in her power to make the blonde feel stupid and small when she was around her – because she knew that if she didn't, there was a strong chance the young woman would get firmly under her skin and stay there. Which of course is exactly what happened in the end anyway.

"I can't believe you remember that." Liv said quietly. She reached for Alex's hand and squeezed it.

"I remember everything … where you're concerned." Alex replied, her voice thick and heavy as it had been intermittently throughout the last couple of days. Liv recognised it now as the strangled sound of someone with something to say. "Open it …" She whispered.

Liv opened the front cover of the book, expecting to find that Alex would have written inside on the dedication page, as she had in a number of ordinary books she'd given the brunette as gifts over the years. That simple recollection derailed her for a moment as she acknowledged they were some of her most precious gifts because of the sentimentality they carried within.

Alex had a flair for the romantic, but not so much that she would risk devaluing a rare classic by writing in it, so instead she'd slipped a simple note inside the front cover. It read, _'Olivia, I wanted to wait until the right time, Merry Christmas, with love – Alex x.'_ Behind the note was a receipt to a rare bookstore in Albany, dated September 2000.

Olivia picked it up and stared at it. "Alex?"

Alex moved to kneel in front of the baffled detective. "I remember everything …" She stressed. She leant her hands upon Olivia's knees as she sat crossed-legged with the book in her lap. "It's like you've been the most significant part of my life since … then …" She indicated the date on the receipt. "Only without actually being …"

Her voice tailed off as Liv's hand came up to trace the softness of the blonde's cheek. "I want you to open your other gift." Liv requested, understanding there was more to be said.

"But?" Alex suddenly felt that she wouldn't be brave enough, that she should take the moment and make the leap before retreating to her comfort zone of the past.

"Please …" Olivia asked, "just open it?"

She passed Alex the smallest of their combined gifts, edging closer, the book still clutched in her lap. Alex felt the intimacy, and her fingers trembled as she began to unwrap it, revealing a small black jewelry box with a purple velvet trim. Her eyes shot to Liv's, knowing the box appeared fancier than anything the detective had ever bought her before.

"Just open it …" Olivia appeased her.

Alex did just that; gingerly lifting out a simple gold chain with a large central tiffany cut diamond, flanked by several smaller ones. She frowned sternly at the detective, holding it across her palm to get a better look. "You cannot afford this Liv."

Liv set the book down and wriggled into Alex's space, looping her arm beneath the blonde's, she slid her finger beneath the diamond necklace and held it up. "I know …" She replied. "And I didn't … it's made out of the diamond from your mother's engagement ring."

Alex felt tears suddenly spring to her eyes and she shut them, remembering the first Christmas they spent together when she returned to SVU. She'd spoken with sadness and regret at missing her mother's passing while her life was on hold in Wisconsin, then showed Olivia the remains of the beautiful engagement ring they'd cut from her mother's hand when she was sick and dying. She recalled Olivia suggesting to get it re-set, then wear it, but she hadn't wanted to – since clunky, flashy, diamond rings were never really her style.

"Liv, it's beautiful …" A single tear rolled down her cheek and Olivia caught it with her lips, hoping to convey everything she struggled so hard to say when they were around each other. Alex leant against her, their hands jointly holding the piece of delicate jewelry. All of a sudden she began to sob real tears, abandoning the necklace as she turned and wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck, crying softly.

"Oh Alex …" Olivia soothed her with small comforting circles across her upper back, assuming that the blonde was overcome with emotion at thinking about her deceased mother.

"I miss you …" Alex whimpered. Her voice lost against Olivia's shoulder. Liv tried to pull her back to properly listen but the blonde wouldn't budge. "When I'm not with you … I miss you …" She ran on, the words keen to escape once she'd started. "It's like I imagine not being able to be with you anymore and all of a sudden … I feel lost …"

Liv listened to the tearful admission, hearing Alex speak about them she realised it was true; she relied upon the fact that Alex would always be there for her, they were each other's plus one, they spent the holidays enjoying each other's company, were each other's comfort if one of them was sad, and they rarely asked for time apart knowing that if they did – they'd wind up regretting it.

She used her strength to pry Alex away from her body, forcing her to look at her. "Alex, sweetie, I'm right here …" As if looking for some way to further cement their connection she added, "I'll always be … right … here."

Alex stopped crying and started listening. "Really?"

Liv nodded, "Yeah …" She blushed slightly as she began her own admission. "When you mentioned you were thinking of going away for the holidays … all I could think about was how much I'd miss you and …" She paused, wondering if this last admission would be a step too far.

"What Liv?" Alex nuzzled against the brunette's cheek, softly pushing her nose into the hair behind Olivia's ear. "Tell me …"

Liv sighed, her mouth hanging open. "And how sad I'd be to not be able to watch you open your presents, and give you the gifts I'd put so much thought and time into planning. It never occurred to me that you might not be with me." She added, revealing the bare truth about their relationship.

Alex cradled the necklace between her fingertips. "I love it." She handed it to Olivia, turning around so that her back was to the detective. She lifted the hair away from her neck. "Put it on me Liv …?"

Olivia slipped it round her neck, letting her hands rest upon Alex's shoulders once she was done. She leant forwards and placed a delicate, light kiss upon the attorney's bare skin, pulling away just in time to see Alex turn back around to face her with hooded, lust filled eyes.

"Liv …?"

Olivia merely nodded, as Alex crashed against her seconds later, their lips meeting as Alex crawled forwards along the floor, needing to be closer to the detective's warm body. Liv groaned as she felt Alex's tongue plunge into her mouth, pouring forth years of pent up love and frustration into that one single kiss.

They broke apart, gasping, quickly searching each others eyes to look for any hint of regret or revulsion. Finding none, Alex pushed Liv back against the wall, assaulting her lips as her hands went to work un-tucking the detectives top from inside her shorts.

"Alex … Alex …" Liv smiled at the attorney's fervor. "Alex … wonderful as this is, do you think we could get up off the floor?"

Alex laughed heartily, realising that a few seconds longer and she'd have more than likely had Olivia supine on the floor, her shirt off over her head. "I'm sorry," She chuckled, "It's just I've waited so long to do that I couldn't really bring myself to stop …"

She allowed Olivia to help her up off the floor, coming face to face with detective's sultry gaze.

"You don't have to …" Liv growled, wrapping her arms around the blonde as she began walking them slowly back towards the bed. "Just, if we're gonna do this," She paused, "After all this time … let's make sure we do it properly."

Liv placed her down upon the bed, so reverently that Alex almost cried it was that memorable a moment. She felt the brunette settle her weight on top of her, relishing the way their lines and curves fit together as if made only for that singular purpose. A gentle sigh escaped Olivia's lips as she began exploring Alex's revealed skin with cautious kisses and playful nips, taking far too long for the impatient blonde who squirmed beneath her, desperate for everything.

"Liv … please …" Alex whimpered beneath her, it made her pull back, studying the blonde's face as it was crumpled with need.

"Aaaalex …" Olivia's sing song voice teased her as she hovered above, holding herself away. "Relax …" She instructed. "I'd really like for this to last long enough for us both to remember it … _forever._"

Alex felt tears spring to her eyes at Liv's words, she turned her head to the side, swearing that she wouldn't cry. She realised then that her hurry was in part to ensure that she wouldn't collapse beneath the enormity of what they were about to do.

Luckily Olivia knew her better than she knew herself, so she understood just that. She sat back, her legs knelt either side of Alex's hips as she began to remove her own shirt before encouraging Alex to sit forwards so she could do the same. Beneath it, Alex wore a blue and white spotted bikini top, and Olivia's heart lurched inside her chest when the blonde simply stayed there, waiting, silently giving her permission to take it all off. She didn't stop until Alex lay beneath her on the bed, wearing only her matching bikini bottoms.

"Yours too?" Alex begged.

Liv slid off her Capri shorts and moved her hands to her back, planning to take off her bra until Alex's hands covered her own, asking to be the one to do it. Alex sat up in the middle of the bed, Olivia facing her in her lap as she began exploring the detectives golden skin and shapely curves.

"God Liv …" Alex's voice was thick with need and arousal as she brought her hands up to cup full breasts, running her thumb across pebbled peaks. She watched as the detective threw her head back in exaltation, exposing the taut muscles of her neck for further study with the blonde's tongue. "I love the way you taste …" Alex moaned, suddenly overcome by the thought that she might get to taste the brunette in other places as well.

Olivia had similar thoughts, pushing Alex back against the bed she began making her way down the blonde's body, sucking and lashing her tongue around both breasts, marveling at the way when she pulled one into her mouth Alex's back arched off the bed. She felt the blonde's hands tousled into her tangled hair, damp from the rain, silently urging her to proceed to where she needed her most. She watched Alex with her eyes, the way she chewed her bottom lip in anxious anticipation, feet pummeling the bed sheets that were gathered around their ankles.

"Oh … um …" Alex cried out as Liv's tongue dipped into her belly button, before traveling back up her abdomen towards the valley between her breasts, she closed her eyes, afraid that if she looked she might lose her mind.

Liv made it her mission to thoroughly devour the attorney, leaving no patch of skin untouched. When she reached the frilly edge of Alex's bikini bottoms, she stalled, inhaling deep into her lungs the scent of the blonde's arousal.

"God Alex …" She slid them down, revealing short blonde curls, glistening with moisture. Her mouth filled to equal measure at the sight, desperate to taste and bury herself deep inside. She felt an overwhelming sense of need to watch Alex as she came undone, knowing that no one, ever, would get to be the one doing that to her again beyond that moment.

Alex felt Liv hesitate, and looked down, catching a look of contemplation on the brunette's face. "Liv … what is it?"

Liv sloped her way back up long pale limbs, settling her weight fully on Alex's chest. "You're it for me," She whispered, "You know that right?"

Alex nodded, her eyes filled with tears such that she found it impossible to speak.

"I mean it …" Liv stressed. She kissed Alex hard, her tongue probing, exploring the younger woman's mouth deeply at first and then lazily, their tongues simply stroking each other in a way that would become well practiced over the years. She knew then that she wanted to be kissing her, the first time she made Alex come.

Alex moaned as Olivia entered her, two fingers filling her with slow and steady thrusts, she lay still at first, adjusting to the overwhelming sensation of Liv's hand touching her, within her, bringing her close to release.

"More …" She whimpered, "Harder … please … so …"

Liv could feel that she was close already, her body far too wired from the prelude to their intimate dance. Her own orgasm wasn't far off either, but she was far too engrossed in Alex's pleasure to have noticed.

Alex's hips began to put up a counter rhythm, her breath heavy against Liv's cheek. She sought out the brunette's lips, biting so hard on Olivia's bottom lip that the brunette thought she might have drawn blood except that she couldn't taste it. She added her thumb, rubbing in intermittent strokes against Alex clit, not knowing that what would happen next left red welts across her upper back as Alex screamed out loud before swearing explicitly and then calling Olivia's name as she rode out her orgasm, long and hard against the brunette's hand.

Liv collapsed on top of her, legs falling either side of Alex's right thigh as she continued to twitch with the aftershocks of such an intense orgasm. The subtle movements enough to send Olivia over the edge herself, she grunted into the nape of Alex's neck as her body shook, with a smaller but no less intense orgasm.

Alex ran her fingers through the soft hair at the back of Olivia's neck. "Did you just …?"

The brunette nodded, she clung to Alex, too temporarily satiated to move.

Alex smirked, "Awwww …" She faked a pout, "I wanted to be the one who …"

"You did." Liv cut her off before she could finish. "You did," She assured for a second time, her lips loose in the basking afterglow of sex. "Trust me, you've been doing it for years …"

* * *

**So, stop there, or continue on to Christmas morning?**


End file.
